Recent advancements in the area of disposable razors has resulted in an extremely convenient product providing superior performance at a competitive price. One of the conveniences offered by several designs is the inclusion of a supply of shaving cream within the razor.
Maurizi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,635, describes a razor with a chamber in the handle for retaining a supply of shaving cream. A plunger is provided for forcing the shaving cream from the chamber onto the head of the razor.
Schauble, U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,432, describes a disposable razor having an emollient reservoir within the handle A pressure inducing rubber bulb is provided at the distal end of the handle for forcing emollient from the reservoir directly onto the razor blade.
Howe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,006, describes a disposable razor with a chamber in the handle for retaining a supply of shaving cream. The shaving cream is dispensed from the chamber through the distal end of the handle.
Kwak, U.S. Pat. No. 4,653,188, describes a razor with a chamber in the handle for retaining shaving cream. The shaving cream is dispensed from the chamber onto a cotton surface plate on the head of the razor through a plurality of small holes in the head of the razor.
Harrison Sr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,882, describes a shaver with a head which defines a reservoir for retaining a supply of shaving cream. The shaving cream flows from the reservoir onto the razor blade through a plurality of small holes immediately underneath the razor blade when the razor blade shivers during normal use.
Because of the substantial amount of shaving cream typically required for a single shaving operation, those razors which include a reservoir for the shaving cream are generally considerably larger than comparative razors which do not include such a reservoir.
The shaving cream dispensed from the reservoir razors is designed to lubricate the skin and therefore must coat the skin prior to shaving in order to be effective. Hence, the dispensing of shaving cream from a reservoir in the razor directly onto the head of the razor during shaving (Maurizi et al., Schauble, Kwak, and Harrison Sr.) does not generally provide effective lubrication because it does not effectively coat the skin prior to shaving. The alternative option of applying the shaving cream from the reservoir onto the skin prior to shaving (Howe) is less convenient because of the additional time and trouble associated with the additional step.
Accordingly, a substantial need exists for a compact disposable razor capable of efficiently providing an effective lubricant directly onto the blade of the razor from an internal reservoir.